Adjustable cord support



United States Patent 3,141,251 ADEUSTABLE CORD SUPPOR Henry L. Olson, West Dundee, and Philip E. Wrilrnan,

St. Charles, llll., assignors to McGraw-Edison Company, ltllilwaulree, Wis, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 19, 1962, Ser. No. 203,623 4 Claims. (Cl. 38-?0) This invention relates to electric irons and, more particularly, to an improved, adjustable electric cord support for an iron which is readily reversible for right hand or left hand operation.

There are numerous devices in the art used to obtain these general results, but each known design requires more complex structures, additional parts or lacks ease of adjustment. In the present invention a simple design is utilized requiring only the cord supporting, integral sleeve and grommet and a cooperating opening in the handle that can be molded in during the forming process.

In the preferred embodiment, shown and described, the cord support is provided with a grommet having a tapered center stem portion of square, cross-section which cooperates with a correspondingly tapered square opening through the iron handle. Since the taper occurs from the inner surface of the handle to the outer surface any outward pull will only serve to wedge the cord protector more securely in place, while a slight downward pressure combined with a turning motion will easily serve to adjust the protector from one cooperating position with the handle opening to another. Further, since most handles have an upper exterior surface which is inclined downwardly at the rear, such a tapered opening can be included without adding to the complexity of the forming mold when a one piece handle is used.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simplified readily adjustable cord support for an electric iron.

It is a further object to provide an adjustable cord support formed in a single piece that cooperates with an opening in the iron handle and requires no additional parts.

It is also an object to provide a cord support that may be readily adjusted, but which will be secured even more firmly against removal or rotation by an inadvertent outward pull or force.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows an iron partially broken away with a phantom view of the cord support showing a position of alternative adjustment;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the cord support;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the cord support taken along lines llllll of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section view of the cord support along line IVIV of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a partial section of the iron handle showing the cooperating opening therethrough.

Referring to FIG. 2 the cord support is formed of a resilient rubber material or one of numerous synthetic substitutes therefor, such as neoprene and has a pair of flanges 12 and 13 which present mutually confronting surfaces 14 and 15 that respectively abut the inner and outer surfaces of the iron handle 16. Intermediate the flanges is a stem 17 of square cross section (FIGS. 3 and 4) which tapers upwardly. Extending at a right angle from the grommet portion of the cord support 10 is a tapering sleeve 19. A common axial passageway 20 extends continuously through both the grommet and sleeve portions with the electric cord 22 entering the handle of the iron through this passageway.

In FIG. 5 the handle 16 is shown in section with a square tapered opening or passageway 24 therethrough.

3,141,251 Patented July 21, 1964 The opening 24 is similar in size and tapered configuration to the stem 17 of the grommet portion of support 10 v the molding die portion that forms the cavity 27 can in clude a projection to form the opening as well. This tool ing simplification is of particular importance when a one piece handle is used.

Using the preferred embodiment shown, the iron can be converted from the right hand ironing condition shown in the full line portion of FIG. 1 to the left hand ironing condition, when the cord support has been adjusted to the position indicated by the phantom view, by exerting a light downward force axially over the grommet portion of the support 10 and turning the support to the opposite side as shown. The downward pressure urges the square stem 17 to a less fully engaging condition with the square opening 24 to reduce the distortion required of the stem and consequently reducing the turning force necessary to effect adjustment.

It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that many variations may be made from the preferred embodiment shown without departing from the spirit of the invention. By way of example, any symmetrical non-circular cross sectional configuration may be utilized, rather than the square section shown, without altering the result and by making the opening in the handle with a circular portion and a non-circular portion, the positioning can be accomplished by having one of the flanges provide the cooperating non-circular symmetrical section. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited to the embodiment shown, but shall include such changes and modifications as are within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An electric iron comprising: a hollow handle presenting a wall portion; wall surfaces on said wall portion defining a first passageway, at least a portion of which is of symmetrical non-round cross section, through said wall portion; a resilient deformable cord supporting grommet extending through and retained in said first passageway, having a pair of mutually confronting flange portions and an intermediate stem portion therebetween, one of said grommet portions being of symmetrical non-round cross section conforming to and disposed at least partially within said first passageway non-round portion to normally resist rotation with respect to said wall portion; and a sleeve associated with said grommet to form a unitary structure with a common second passageway extending through said sleeve and said grommet.

2. An electric iron comprising: a handle presenting a wall portion; wall surfaces on said wall portion defining a first passageway of symmetrical non-round cross section through said wall portion; a grommet of resilient, deformable material having confronting fiange surfaces abutting opposite sides of said wall portion adjacent said first passageway; an intermediate stem portion between said flange surfaces of cross section similar to that of said passageway and disposed in and conforming to said first passageway to normally resist rotation of said grommet with respect to said wall and a sleeve connected to said grommet to form a unitary structure with a common second passageway extending through said sleeve and said grommet.

3. The iron of claim 2 wherein said first passageway tapers from the interior to the exterior of said wall portion and said intermediate stem portion tapers toward said sleeve.

4. An electric iron comprising: a hollow handle presenting a wall portion; wall surfaces forming a part of said wall portion and defining a first passageway of square cross section, said first passageway through said grommet having acontinuous common second passageway wall portion tapering from the interior to the exterior of eXtending through Said Sleeve and Said grommetsaid handle; a resilient grommet having confronting flange surfaces abutting said wall portion adjacent said first References Cited m the file of thls Patent passageway and an intermediate stem portion, intercon- 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS meeting said flange surfaces, of square cross section dis- 2 249 20 Samuels July 5 1941 posed in and conforming to said first passageway to nor- 2,536,996 H ll d t L Jan 2 51 mally resist rotation of said grommet with respect to said 2,814,136 Sebok Nov. 26, 1957 wail portion and tapering in the same direction as said FOREIGN PATEN passageway; and a sleeve formed integrally with said 10 Ts 550,971 Canada Dec. 31, 1957 

4. AN ELECTRIC IRON COMPRISING; A HOLLOW HANDLE PRESENTING A WALL PORTION; WALL SURFACES FORMING A PART OF SAID WALL PORTION AND DEFINING A FIRST PASSAGEWAY THROUGH SAID WALL PORTION TAPERING FROM THE INTERIOR TO THE EXTERIOR OF SAID HANDLE; A RESILIENT GROMMET HAVING CONFRONTING FLANGE SURFACES ABUTTING SAID WALL PORTION ADJACENT SAID FIRST PASSAGEWAY AND AN INTERMEDIATE STEM PORTION, INTERCONNECTING SAID FLANGE SURFACES, OF SQUARE CROSS SECTION DISPOSED IN AND CONFORMING TO SAID FIRST PASSAGEWAY TO NORMALLY RESIST ROTATION OF SAID GROMMET WITH RESPECT TO SAID WALL PORTION AND TAPERING IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID PASSAGEWAY; AND A SLEEVE FORMED INTEGRALLY WITH SAID GROMMET HAVING A CONTINUOUS COMMON SECOND PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING THROUGH SAID SLEEVE AND SAID GROMMET. 